The 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act sought to institutionalize best practices for broader and more robust information sharing, while at the same maintaining efforts to protect classified data.

Director of National Intelligence Gen. James Clapper once described the goal this way: Sharing "the right data, any time, any place, usable by any authorized recipient, preventable only by law or policy and not technology, and protected by a comprehensive regimen of accountability.

The Information Sharing Environment, headed by program manager, Kshemendra Paul, has helped to improve the coordination of information sharing.
Under his watch, the National Information Exchange Model has worked to break down intelligence and information stovepipes.

Agencies embraced the spirit of the idea, made progress toward the administration's stated goals and the results have been apparent.

For those reasons, Federal News Radio is rating the Obama administration's information-sharing efforts as effective.

As part of the special report, The Obama Impact: Evaluating the Last Four Years, Federal News Radio examined 23 different ideas and initiatives instituted by the Obama Administration and ranked them as effective, ineffective and more progress needed.